Take a deep dive into politics? No thanks. But pay attention? Yep.
With a background in real life journalism, I’m pleased to report that throughout my life cycle I have remained truly apolitical. Those who do general reportage try hard to be Switzerland when it comes to politics.
I got a leg up on the neutrality file early on.
My parents are long gone and a few years after their demise, I realized I had no idea what their political leanings had been and I was grateful.
So many people have told me they have been definitely influenced by their parents, siblings or other family members when it came to politics among other issues.
I admit I got interested in the news world at a fairly early age, reading newspapers and magazines before my teen years. I recall quite clearly, asking my mother how she voted and she noted with a chuckle, that it was usually with a pencil and ballot in a voting booth.
Great.
But then she followed up by stating that she wasn’t inclined to tell me which party or person she might have voted for. She made a pretty emphatic statement that it would be up to me to decide how I wanted to vote as time marched on and I would become eligible to mark a ballot too. She encouraged me to keep reading and listening when it came to politics and eventually I would find persons and a party I could place my faith in.
Well, I have a scattered mind it seems because I can truthfully say, I’ve voted for every mainstream, and almost mainstream party and representatives over several decades and can still claim that I am a true independent voter. I can be bought … err, I mean I can be persuaded. Since I am no longer engaged in the political news gathering world, there is no need to be neutral either on the surface or within. But I still tend to vote for people and personalities rather than parties. Apparently, there is still some Switzerland in my political outreach.
My parents were separated before I reached my teens and eventually divorced so my infrequent visits with my father rarely ventured into the matter of political affiliations. We had other things to talk about, but I was impressed that his attitude toward his son and voting processes when the topic did come up. His take was nearly identical to my mother’s concept. In other words, you will make up your own mind. He wasn’t interested in attempting to sway my political leanings. He said to trust my abilities to sort through political pronouncements and mark the ballot accordingly. I have done that fairly religiously on a civic, provincial and federal level ever since I turned 18 and cast a ballot for the father of one of my previous high school classmates. It wasn’t an in-depth study I admit, but he was a guy I knew. Good enough.
Now why am I expounding on these personal details as if you were interested in how I vote?
Well, it’s not ego, for sure, even though I kept referencing my “ownself” as sports author Dan Jenkins would say.
I am doing it to remind readers who have been brave enough to have read this script this far, that it is a simple duty to vote.
I also believe that this privilege does carry with it, a corresponding responsibility and that is, to listen carefully to what the campaigning candidates are telling us. What are the leaders saying? Where and what is the platform and long-range program? Will it have staying power? Will they have the courage to seek truth to power … unlike what we have recently seen happen to political representatives among our southern neighbours?
I believe voting one way because your parents or loved ones voted that way, is really not a convincing argument.
As I was fortunate enough to learn at that early age, when it comes down to politics, the best measure might be to read, listen, view, review and then consider the long-term results of the various political platforms you have encountered and then, mark the ballot. Mark it with pride and with the knowledge that you have a democracy to tend to and maintaining it ain’t that easy, especially if we don’t pay attention to what’s happening in those political arenas.
I submit these thoughts, on purpose, well after we here in Canada voted in a federal election. I do so with the above thoughts in mind.
I am trusting that the two or three readers of this missive will keep some of the advice in mind for future selections to town and city councils, or regional, provincial and federal elections. It’s your privilege and responsibility to vote with knowledge for those you want to see elected, not what someone else may try to sway you towards. Your mind, heart and votes are sacred.
This sermon is over. Time for a hymn or gospel reading maybe?
